Newsarama: Dave, we've talked a lot before about how you got into the business, but for DC fans who might not be familiar with your work, you came through Top Cow, right? Starting on Cyberforce under the direction of Marc Silvestri. How did you get started in comics there?

David Finch: I went to New York with some samples and showed them to David Wohl. He liked them enough to suggest I draw a pin-up and turn it in to Top Cow. They liked the pin-up enough to take me on as an intern and I learned on the job. That lead to seven years with Top Cow.

Nrama: Who were some of your influences as you began your comics career? Do you think they still influence your art, or has your style evolved?

Finch: My biggest influences when I started drawing were Marc Silvestri, Dale Keown, Jim Lee, Adam Kubert and Alan Davis and I would have to say that they still influence my art very heavily. Since then I’ve taken on a lot of other influences and gone in different directions, but the core of what I do has always stayed the same. I was attracted to comics because of the powerful artwork that I saw at that time, and that type of work is always going to be central to what I do.

This is the second of the “Pilot Season” books that Robert Kirkman and Mark Silvestri are doing at Top Cow. Last week was Murderer, about a man who has to kill to silence his telepathy and who kills to help people. This week: Demonic, about a man compelled to either murder criminals or to kill his wife and daughter. Once the other three books (Stealth, Stellar and Hardcore, presumably about people who are afflicted by how quiet, bright and eXtreme they are, but manage to do good anyway) have come out then you’ll be able to vote for them on the Top Cow website, with the winner becoming a miniseries. So far, my money’s on Murderer, not only because it’s got the best name of the bunch but because the protagonist of that book spent most of the issue carefully selecting someone bad enough to kill before carefully killing him, while Demonic mostly carved up police officers, and precision is a lot more fun to read about than Demon Wolverine.

Rob is one of the smartest, savviest, and funny guys I know in the business. Rob is currently a freelance writer and editor, but I got to know him as the youngest Vice President of Editorial over at Top Cow. He rose to that position because of his keen critical eye for the art of comics. Listening to Rob give notes, you can't help but wonder if he's actually like Benjamin Button. It's pretty common for pros meeting him to assume he's much older than he actually is. As a writer, he's only just now breaking on the scene with stories like The Darkness: Butcher, a Ragman story in the DC Comics Holiday Special, The Darkness: Shadows & Flame, and the upcoming Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box with co-conspirator & renaissance man Bryan Edward Hill. He also recently edited the critically acclaimed Days Missing limited series for Archaia and the upcoming The Crazies comic prequels from American Original. It's just the tip of the iceberg of what Levin has in store for the comics industry so get on board this train early. You an find him blogging at Authentic Imposter as well as here at Geekweek or sharing his random insight on Twitter @roblevin. Finally, you should know I call Rob "Dusty" and he calls me "Frutti," the reasons are a thing of comic book urban legend.

Top Cow, the L.A.-based comics publisher founded by Marc Silvestri, has had an annual tradition called "Pilot Season," where the company releases several one-shot pilot issues and lets fans choose which one they'd want to see as a full series.

Today, we're getting a first look at the winner of the 2007 Pilot Season, Velocity, which got more than four million votes from fans. Based on a character from Marc Silvestri's popular Cyberforce comic series, Velocity will feature the talents of writer Ron Marz (Witchblade, Angelus) and artist Kenneth Rocafort (Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer).

Here's the summary:

Carin Taylor is the fastest woman in the world. At least, she'd better be if she wants to save her own life and the lives of her Cyberforce teammates. When a former Cyberdata scientist -- and test subject -- seeks revenge against the members of Cyberforce, only Velocity can save her friends before the clock literally runs out.

The first issue of the four-issue, limited series goes on sale on May 26th for $3.99.

Here's what writer Ron Marz told UGO about Velocity:

"I've been getting to use the supernatural side of the Top Cow Universe as my playground for a while now, so I jumped at the chance to write one of my favorites from the superhero/tech side. Plus, I've got a thing for redheads. I've also got a thing for Kenneth Rocafort, who I think is one of the brilliant artists working in comics right now. We're going to pay off Velocity's 'Pilot Season' win with a story that's got her literally running for her life, and the lives of her teammates."

Pilot Season: Demonic #1 (Published by Top Cow; Review by Russ Burlingame): In spite of having a main character whose ethical code is somewhere south of Deadpool’s and who looks on the cover to be the love child of Edward Scissorhands and the dude from “Haunt” (conveniently, one of Kirkman’s 89 other monthly books), the concept of this title—that this guy will allow a demon to rule his life and will do anything for her in exchange for sparing him from having to kill his wife and daughter—is something that you kinda want to wonder why The Spectre never thought of two or three years ago. That said, it’s an interesting book that raises some interesting issues and while I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s smart, it’s certainly got a hook. The surprise on the last page is a long time coming, though, and I don’t feel particularly driven to see what happens next.

When Top Cow sent me a copy of their new Robert Kirkman penned, Joe Benitez drawn comic Demonic I was apprehensive to say the least. Then I cracked the book open and the good times started to roll! Demonic is a super violent, high paced action comic that is able to weave in a solid story that hooks you by the third page.

Art wise Joe Benitez knocks this one out of the park. Demonic reads more like a movie than a comic book and all of that falls on Benitez’s art. Everything from clothing to hair to capes seems to move in the panels and when put together with other panels Demonic begins to move with a living rhythm. Benitez also seems to understand how to use shadow to achieve depth as well as paying attention to the detail of faces so the emotion displayed on them is very real.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

I giggled a little yesterday when I heard Apple describe the iPad as magical. So I thought it'd be appropriate to show Abby from Necromancer working some magic on the revolutionary device.In all seriousness, I'll be in line to get one in March.

The bone-crushing new series produced by Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia and DiVide Pictures continues this month! Both Aaron and Farris have been courted, hunted and manipulated by Midgard and Asgaard since they manifested their powers. But have they been pushed too far? And what path have they chosen? Featuring variant covers by series artist Jeremy Haun (Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum) and Dale Keown (The Darkness/Pitt).

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Dread Central has the first few pages of Pilot Season: Demonic #1 up on their site.

Comic writer Robert Kirkman is a busy guy. Along with his stellar ongoing Walking Dead series and the occasional issue of Marvel Zombies, he's got a new franchise blooming in Top Cow's Pilot Season. Pilot Season: Demonic about a vigilante known for savagely slaughtering the wicked.

The first issue just hit the market this week, and thanks to Top Cow we've got the storyline, a look at the cover, and a few panels for you to check out below (click each image to see more detail). The credits are as follows: written by Robert Kirkman, art by Joe Benitez, and cover by Marc Silvestri.

Yes Non-Believers it's that time of the year again, Pilot Season at Top Cow. Where we are given glimpses of comics that make us fall in love with them and then Top Cow, like a ruthless evil bitch, rips them away and never mentions again, um... or something in that manner.

The final pitch is Kirkman elaborating on the idea of Demonic, I found it severely interesting and one I would love to read more of.

Top Cow really has some of the better artists out there as witnessed in this book, Top Notch (pun intended) art, and now that they seem to be getting their claws deeper into Kirkmans flesh they will have one of the better writers too, unless of course this pilot season ends up like a dud like the previous one, did any of those get a book out of it?

Cosmic Book News reviewsPilot Season: Demonic #1, which is out in stores this week:

I would vote for Demonic #1.

What’s that you ask?

This one is pretty gruesome, quite horrific and also damn good!

I found Kirkman’s concept here to be very intriguing. Right off the bat he sucks you in with this huge Demon trying to get this guy to kill his family.

As to be expected from Top Cow, the art was just gorgeous. I must say from what I have been reading from Top Cow, they do have the best art in the business. Everything they have been putting out has been top notch and its consistent, which is a plus in my book. We get that here with the team of Benitez, Llamas, Prianto and Peteri. The layouts, panels, colors make this for a great read.

In 2007 Top Cow Productions began an annual initiative known as "Pilot Season." Taking its name from television pilots, Top Cow's Pilot Season program encompasses the release of several books which readers will then be able to vote on, determining two titles which will go on to be published by the company.

Out of the five books, the title with the most impact is "Murderer." Coupled with the cover, which depicts a young man spreading his coat open to display various weapons and implements of violence, "Murderer" excels at the most basic marketing of itself.

“Tracker” is an interesting amalgam of the typical crime drama ala “C.S.I.” and “An American Werewolf in Paris.” With the still mind baffling crazy popularity of the latest “Twilight” movie, it should come as no surprise that werewolves are back in style even more than wearing Uggs in the middle of summer. Like a hairy Fred Dryer (Does anyone remember that show “Hunter?”) our hero, F.B.I. Agent Alex O’Roark, hunts down a serial killer with a penchant for disembowelment. O’Roark spends most of his time alienating himself from everyone and everything associated with his human life while trying to come to terms with the changes in his body he acquires from a near death encounter with a mongrel-like killer named Herod. The story has a real basis in science and not mysticism, which sets it nicely apart from the previously mentioned werewolf properties. Is it worthy of the mix? Well, the story plays out more like an episode of “Bones” than it does a Romero flick, so it’s definitely a ‘take it or leave it’ decision where only personal taste can dictate if this book has enough bloody gore for you or not.

Have you ever imagined yourself as the star of a comic book? Award-winning writer Mark Millar is offering YOU that chance! Millar's upcoming comic book, "Nemesis" (illustrated by Millar's co-creator, best-selling artist Steven McNiven), is about the fight between America's smartest cop and the world's one and only super-villain. Who is that cop? Well, that's where you come in!

Dynamic Forces will be hosting an auction to name that cop, and the winner's name will be immortalized as the hero of the story! Best of all, all proceeds raised from this once-in-a-lifetime event will go directly into a special fund that will assist handicapped children.

"My older brother, Dr. Bobby Millar, works with these children every day and he explained to me what a difference it would make if they could get a new bus," Mark Millar explains. "Resources are tight at all schools and hospitals in the current economic climate, but we had a great success with the Kick-Ass auction and feel hopeful that comic-book readers will dig deep again and they can build towards this pretty hefty amount of cash they need for the vehicle. Steven and I have had an amazing run of luck with Civil War and Old Man Logan and we're hoping "Nemesis" will be similarly massive. To star as a comic-book hero is pretty cool and the intense movie-studio and production-company interest for "Nemesis" before the book even hits the stands should bode well that whoever wins this auction will get their name out there in many other media too, just like Dave Lizewski. I really hope people get behind this as the staff at the school do a terrific job and the kids would be delighted with this nice, new bus everyone has their eye on."

Crossovers. Let’s talk about ‘em. Me? I’m not usually a fan. Sure, I like Marvel a lot. Yeah, I’ve been getting into Top Cow with these reviews. Put the two together, you’d expect a sure-fire hit, right? Meh. Post Marvel Civil War drama combined with obscure baddies from Wolverine and the addition of a (literally) giant Venom just feel forced in this three-part arc. I’ll admit, I did get a kick out of reviewing a pseudo-Marvel release for Indie Street, but my overall feeling is that Image, Marvel and Top Cow should just stick to themselves. Screw comradeship.

In issue #134, Det. Sara Pezzini, the bearer of the Witchblade gauntlet, is on the hunt for a green-haired cyborg assassin (she looks like a cross between something from "Jem and the Holograms" and the movie "Robocop"). While she is hunting the assassin, called Aphrodite IV, she runs across Argent, from Top Cow's "Hunter Killer" series, and there are even touches of the recent Cyber Force Hunter Killer mini-series, not to mention plot points from the Angelus series.

Simply, if you are not getting either Witchblade or Angelus, you are missing out on some amazing stories!

In March, Robert Kirkman — the author of "Image United" alongside illustrators and Image Comics founders Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino — will provide the proper "Image United" series with a month long reprieve. In its place is "Image United: Interlude" #1, a special one-shot issue that focuses on the surrounding heroes of the Image Universe that weren't created by Image's founders and haven't been seen in "Image United" yet. In other words, it's a way for the universe's other characters to get involved in the company's biggest crossover event to date.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

It's been a couple of busy days so here's a quickie sketch of Jackie in his full Darkness gear. The mask is inspired by Michael Broussard's take on Jackie's armor. The latest Darkness issue by Michael, Rick Basaldua, and Arif Prianto is some of the best to date!

Comic Book Movie is reporting, by way of ComicVine, that The Darkness film has found a producer and actor:

'The Darkness' spin-off character Magdalena could make it to theaters before the Top Cow series' title anti-hero does, but the company has some talent and Hollywood-based backing helping their character out behind the scenes. Right now that help consists of at least one unnamed actor, more than one writer, and a producer who currently has Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and The Wolfman on his plate.

@WhilcePortacio Just put five pages of Uncanny X-Men and one pencil and inked Darkness cover in the last twenty four hours...time for sleep...sleeeeeeeeeeep-Whilce Portacio, Artist ("Wetworks," "X-Factor")

For fans of short horror stories, “The Darkness: Shadows & Flame” #1 is the book you possibly overlooked this week that warrants some attention, as Rob Levin crafts a creepy story about a man, Salvador Gomes, tortured by the deaths of his wife and child in 1897 New England. He now seeks the Shadow God to send him back in time to repair his failure to save them. A man named Teo tries to warn him off his insane quest, urging him to accept what has happened and move on as best he can.

Levin draws upon a specific Lovecraftian influence that’s reflected well in Jorge Lucas’s art. His detailed renderings of the Shadow God’s display just stopped me dead as I looked them over. Lucas has always proven himself a talented artist, but never in this vein.

It is nonetheless a well-crafted issue and something for horror fans to keep their eyes out for.

Once again the super team of Ron Marz and Stjepan Sejic do a great job bringing this series to life. I really can’t imagine liking this series as much as I do if they weren’t working on it. Since this is the first issue in a three-issue story arc, there wasn’t a ton of action, but I think that will change right away when the next one comes out.

Witchblade #134 will be in comic shops this Wednesday, January 27. Since it’s the start of a new storyline, it makes a good jumping on point for new readers.

Monday, January 25, 2010

A cybernetic assassin is on the loose and the only clue Witchblade Sara Pezzini has is some large caliber bullet shells. Much like James Cameron, writer Ron Marz populates Witchblade with some high action tough women. His characters call back to the likes of Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor, and even though objectively nothing much happens in this issue, it moves forward at a good pace.

He cuts back and forth between a couple of plot lines but never losses sight of his characters or there motivations. He has the ability to fill his pages with quite a bit of talking, but it never becomes a chore to read and always adds to the depth of the book. He writes a very interesting world of high tech cyber intrigue with mysterious characters and mysterious motivations. This is issue is set up...but somehow it is very satisfying and filling.

The art duties are all taken care of by Stjepan Sejic and in his capable hands this book is great looking. His page layouts are clean and simple but have room and touches of experimentation with panel layouts. His most effective attribute is his coloring style. Everything in this book really pops, its bright and vibrant and the color pallet is all over the place in a good way.

It's a simple set up issue but it's done really well and the writer and artist come together to make what is basically exposition really filling.

Murderer introduces Jason Sparks who as we find out from the first 2 pages can hear the thoughts of those around him from the moment he wakes. From the look of his reaction to it happening it seems that it is something he can not control and if you think about it, how would you control being bombarded with other people’s thoughts all day long?

Hearing other people’s thoughts is what is driving him to what he does. From thoughts as his grandmother thinking he’s a dead beat who drove his father to his grave to the everyday thoughts of people wanting to postpone meetings and finally to the violent thoughts of those looking to do some harm.

Overall I really enjoyed this issue. I have been reading a lot of oversized comics of late and getting back to a 22 page comic was a welcome change. The story flowed really well from panel to panel and Nelson’s art was able to draw, pun intended, the eyes to what he wanted to see be it a character in the foreground or what he is doing to someone while he is seeing their thoughts.

This is a book that has be intrigued to see where it can go after this, if we will have Jason running from the law going from city to city or what can come of it.

Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today the March 17, 2010 release of Angelus #3, guest-starring The Darkness.

Featuring the series’ critically acclaimed duo of writer Ron Marz and artist Stjepan Sejic, the 32-page Angelus #3 addresses the long-established relationship between the Angelus and the Darkness, who have been diametrically opposed since the beginning of time. Once confronted by sometimes ally Jackie Estacado, bearer of the Darkness, in the midst of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Danielle Baptiste, the newest bearer of the Angelus, will see if she can choose her own path.

“Dani already knows that Jackie Estacado is a good friend to have,” said Marz. “She’s about to learn he’s a much worse enemy to have. The Angelus and the Darkness are eternal opposites, eternal enemies. Jackie’s not the sort to let friendship stand in the way of business, and letting the Angelus live is bad business.”

The series follows the origin of the newest bearer of The Angelus, the primal force of Light in the Top Cow Universe, Dani as she struggles to rectify the Artifact she embodies with her private life. Dani attempts to find solace in her hometown of New Orleans and has brought her friend/romantic interest Finch with her, but forces around her may conspire against the fledgling Angelus bearer. The series also serves as a lead in to next year’s Artifacts event series.

"'Demonic' is about a guy who has superpowers that may or may not be derived from demonic origins," Kirkman told CBR of the book's premise. "The basic thought is if someone were to have superpowers and not know exactly how they got them, it's entirely possible that the stress of having those superpowers could fracture that guy's personality to the point where he invents some kind of false outside stimulus that gives him a reason for his powers to exist. Basically, he has a demon that comes to him every night that tries to talk him into killing his wife and daughter. In order to not have to kill his wife and daughter, he has to go out and fill her quota for souls so that she's fed and doesn't require him to kill his family."

To say that there's no love lost between Scott and the demon that tortures him is a massive understatement. "He hates the thing and is constantly lashing out at it," said Kirkman. "He's put through quite a bit of turmoil, because he's always seeing this demon. It appears to him during the day, always taunting him, so he's living under a lot of stress. But it's left open whether or not what he's seeing is actually real."

To read the rest of the interview with Kirkman and Silvestri, go here.

The folks at Top Cow have been doing a lot to try to lure new readers and lapsed fans back into the fold. They have been tying up dangling subplots in their comics in preparation for fans jumping (back) on board. They have been offering trade paperbacks at the introductory price of $9.99.Finally, they have been releasing the occasional one-shot like this one, a tale of one of the previous bearers of the Darkness in the late 19th century.

I will mention one other thing that I enjoyed about this issue: Top Cow’s willingness to draw attention to the creators rather than the characters. There’s a page that tells you what the writer and artist’s next projects are, so you can follow their work if you enjoy it. Plus, there’s a text piece about Lovecraft himself, as well as recommendations about which stories of his to start with. Encouraging comics fans to read more classic literature deserves a shout out, so good on Top Cow for that.

So to sum up: if you like ghost stories, or if you read comics primarily for the art, then this is worth a look.

Magdalena #1: With an awesome team like this it’s hard to resist this upcoming series. Still I’m not a big fan of the series and I can’t really afford to add a new ongoing right now so for now I’m going to be passing on this, but it sounds cool.

The Quarter Bin took at look at Rob Levin and Jorge Lucas' Darkness: Shadows & Flame one-shot, and here are a few things they had to say:

What’s interesting about the major powers in the Top Cow universe, and in this case specifically the Darkness, is that they have been around for centuries, millennia, presumably even longer. That means there’s a rich history just waiting to be explored, which occasionally happens in the form of a mini-series or one-shot. Such is the case with The Darkness: Shadows and Flame, a Lovecraft-inspired tale set in 1897.

The Darkness: Shadows and Flame is an interesting look at the Top Cow U’s past, giving just a glimpse of who the Darkness used to be, decades before Jackie Estacado would wield that power. If you’re a fan of Estacado’s adventures, then pick up this one-shot, which is in stores now.

Image Comics got in on the $1 comics action recently with the announcement of Image Firsts. I'm not going to get all negative on them for reaching out to new readers with affordable comics and actually commend them for jumping on the bandwagon DC started with the After Watchmen promotion (Vertigo also does the occasional $1 first issue for new series), but some of the choices for issues to spotlight left me a bit confused.

The choices of Spawn, Savage Dragon, Witchblade and Youngblood leave me a little confused. These are titles that have been going on for years and have seen significant changes in that time.

For example, Witchblade, as guest poster Mike Panetta pointed out, has changed drastically in style and tone since Ron Marz took over. They are even promoting the new run with free trades with any purchase at InStockTrades.com. Why not spotlight Marz's first issue, Witchblade #80, or more recent story arcs? If I pick up Witchblade #1 for a $1, where do I go from there? Witchblade Vol 1: Witch Hunt, as the trade is listed on Amazon.com, is actually Ron Marz's first arc on the title. You'd have to pick up the Witchblade Compendium, which contains the first 50 issues, to find more of the same as the Witchblade #1 issue you just bought.